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National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC) Participates in the 2009 XII International Digisonde Forum [May 2009]
International users of ionosonde observations assembled at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell Center for Atmospheric Research (UMLCAR) to participate in the 2009 XII International Digisonde Forum. The forum, held every 2 years, brings together scientists and engineers for a week of immersion into the following topics: new measurement techniques, scientific results, and data stewardship and analysis tools related to radar observations of the lower ionosphere. The NGDC Boulder ionosonde station was notably singled out and heralded as an example of observatory excellence in numerous presentations. Discussions with international providers of ionosonde data colleagues resulted in agreements to establish real-time data feeds between NGDC and separate observatories located in El Arenosillo (Spain) and Pruhonice (Prague, Czech Republic). Other discussions with UMLCAR's director Professor Bodo Reinisch led to an agreement to allow NGDC's MIRRION system to acquire real-time observations from ionosonde sites previously inaccessible to real-time users.
Significance: NOAA has been a central force in bringing together users and providers of space weather data, products and services that protect society and improve commerce.
Outcome: This activity supports the Goal 4 objective to improve our environmental and marine infrastructure.
( or 303-497-4331)
Magnetic Declination Map Published in Popular Outdoor Field Guide [May 2009]
NOAA's National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC) produced a map of North America showing magnetic declination contours and yearly (secular) variation based on the current World Magnetic Model (WMM 2005). The map will appear in the "OUTsmart OUTback II" outdoor field guide, published by Ron Dawson. Current magnetic declination information is essential for navigation by magnetic compass, still the most common means of backcountry orienteering. The guide contains information about backcountry skills and first aid, with about 110,000 copies initially printed.
Significance: NGDC develops the World Magnetic Model for navigation and attitude/heading referencing systems. It is the standard magnetic field model of the US Department of Defense, the UK Ministry of Defense, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and the World Hydrographic Office (WHO) and used widely in civilian navigation systems. NOAA and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) use the WMM for nautical and aeronautical charting. The model, associated software, and documentation are distributed by NGDC on behalf of National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. The model is produced at 5-year intervals, with the current model expiring on December 31, 2009.
Outcome: This activity supports the NOAA Goals to support the Nation's commerce with information for safe, efficient, and environmentally sound transportation and to Understand and Describe and Engage, Advise, and Inform. NOAA and the FAA use the World Magnetic Model for nautical and aeronautical charting and navigation. NGDC is working with NOAA Oceans to deliver this information to support electronic navigational charting.
( or 303-497-7893)
NOAA's Hydrographic File Converter Operational [May 2009]
The National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC) developed an on-line tool to convert the Bathymetric Attribute Grid or BAG file to a more commonly accessible xyz (location and value) format. The BAG has become the standard National Ocean Service (NOS) hydrographic data file for public release. Many NGDC customers found it difficult to work with the bag file because it is binary form. NGDC developed a conversion tool to take the binary bag file and output an ASCII (plain text) xyz file. To increase the usability and decrease download times the empty space of the bag file is not added to the xyz files. Added to the zip and ship program utilized by multibeam data, online customers can now select entire surveys worth of bag files or individual files of their choosing. In addition to xyz data, NGDC also creates an xml metadata file for each conversion.
Significance: Many NGDC customers in the hydrographic community, national, regional and local governments as well as individuals and contractors can now access NOS surveys in a more usable format. By creating this conversion, NGDC opens NOS survey data to a wider audience making NGDC products and services more valuable.
Outcome: This activity supports the NOAA Goals to support the Nation's commerce with information for safe, efficient, and environmentally sound transportation and to Understand and Describe and Engage, Advise, and Inform. NOAA and the Federal Aviation Administration use the World Magnetic Model for nautical and aeronautical charting and navigation. NGDC is working with NOAA's NOS to deliver this information to support electronic navigational charting.
( or 303-497-6390)
Electronic Supplement to Modeling Paleobathymetry in the Southern Oceans [May 2009]
Data, images, and source files from the recently published "Hayes, D.E., C. Zhang and R.A. Weissel (2009), Modeling Paleobathymetry in the Southern Ocean. Eos, Vol. 90, No. 19, 12 May 2009, p. 165-166" (http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/bathymetry/apb/) are now available for download from NGDC. Scientists at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University created the model as part of their research into the paleobathymetry of the circum-Antarctic oceans back to the Late Cretaceous period (100 - 65 million years ago). The calculated paleobathymetry is based on a revised tectonic model of the circum-Antarctic region and incorporates a number of features such as spatially variable subsidence rates, refined rotation poles, and a detailed treatment of selected areas. Model output consists of color-coded maps and associated gridded paleobathymetry for ocean areas south of 30 degrees south latitude.
Significance: Paleobathymetric modeling is an integral component of global change research. The climate during the Late Cretaceous is characterized by generally warmer than present day, with the "U.S." being predominantly covered by a shallow sea.
Outcome: This activity supports the Integrated Oceans and Coastal Mapping program and the general goal to improve our environmental and marine infrastructure and to develop a more robust Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS).
( or 303-497-6429)
National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC) Participates in Curators of Marine and Lacustrine Geological Samples Meeting [May 2009]
NGDC participated in a meeting of the Consortium of Curators of Marine and Lacustrine Geological Samples hosted by the Antarctic Marine Geology Research Facility (AMGRF) of Florida State University in Tallahassee, FL, May 4-6, 2009. The meeting focused on best practices and technological advancements for management of geologic sample collections and derived data. Representatives attended from the AMGRF, the British Ocean Sediment Core Research Facility, the Alfred Wegener Institute, the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program, the Antarctic Drilling Program, the US National Lacustrine Core Repository, the US National Ice Core Laboratory, the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the US Geological Survey, and EarthScope. Carla Moore of NGDC gave presentations on the Index to Marine and Lacustrine Geological Samples database, maintained by NGDC (http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/curator/) on behalf of the Curators' Consortium, and on the status of NOAA Climate Database Modernization Program project L-19 "Digitization of Marine and Lacustrine Records of Climate Change," a collaboration with several of the participating institutions.
Significance: For over 30 years, NOAA/NGDC has partnered with the Curators' Consortium to bring together users and providers of geologic sample material from the global sea floor and lakebeds to ensure maximum utilization of these scarce and valuable resources for climate/global change research and marine mapping.
Outcome: This activity supports the Integrated Oceans and Coastal Mapping program and the general goal to improve our environmental and marine infrastructure and to develop a more robust Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS).
( or 303-497-6339)
National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC) Strengthens International Data Ties [May 2009]
On April 27-29, 2009 and May 7-12, 2009 NGDC hosted visiting scientists from Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV, Rome) and International Center for Theoretical Physics (ICTP, Trieste). Mutually beneficial exchanges of ideas, data and applications for ionospheric data were accomplished. INGV operates a network of Italian ionosondes that have recently been upgraded to provide data in real time. The Italians have agreed to exchange these real-time data with NGDC. This data may then be made available to the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center and other users. ICTP is a member of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization that supports scientific cooperation with underdeveloped countries. Space environmental monitoring is a global scientific challenge for which there are currently insufficient ground-based observations from underdeveloped nations.
Significance: Cooperative relationships with INGV and ICTP will increase and improve NOAA's leadership role within the international data community by allowing NGDC to obtain, analyze, archive and distribute data from the ionospheric sensors and encouraging the installation and operation of new sensors in underrepresented regions of the world.
Outcome: This supports the Goal 4 objective to develop a more robust Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS).
( or 303-497-6346)
Online Access Upgraded at National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC) [May 2009]
Over the past 2 years NGDC has "data rescued" over 1 TB of historic ionospheric sounding data through the NOAA Climate Data Modernization Program (CDMP). These data are only a small fraction of the total number of ionograms originally recorded on 35-mm film and then warehoused within NGDC. The user community has been instrumental in advising NGDC which ionogram records are the most valuable for scientific research and climate change studies. In order to facilitate user access to these data, NGDC has developed an intermediate processing step that creates low-resolution survey images that are then made available via the www. Full resolution images may be made available by request. (See: ftp://ftp.ngdc.noaa.gov/STP/IONOSPHERE/CDMP_FILM/).
Significance: This feature facilitates greater efficiency for users in browsing and selecting data for their needs.
Outcome: This supports the Goal 4 objective to broaden and develop a more robust Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS).
( or 303-497-6135)
National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC) Participates in Ionospheric Modeling Workshop [May 2009]
Individuals from NGDC participated in the 2009 Real-Time International Reference Ionosphere (IRI) Task Force Workshop held at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs CO, May 4-6, 2009. The workshop focused on various initiatives for improving the IRI model including: (1) performing a large-scale reanalysis effort like that of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research Reanalysis, (2) establishing a set of validation criteria with which to judge the various modeling techniques, (3) developing an assimilative strategy to combine validated techniques into a global model, and (4) preparing the IRI model for real time usage. NOAA scientists Rob Redmon (NGDC) and Jim Manley (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences) presented a well received talk regarding NGDC products and services.
Significance: NOAA has been a central force in bringing together users and providers of space weather data, products and services that protect society and improve commerce.
Outcome: This supports the Goal 3 objective to demonstrate global leadership on environmental issues.
( or 303-497-4331)
NOAA's National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC) Participates in NOAA-Boulder Briefing of Secretary Locke [May 2009]
NGDC was one of three NOAA Boulder laboratories that briefed Department of Commerce Secretary Locke on Wednesday May 6, 2009. NGDC briefed the Secretary on plans for using American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding to improve data management infrastructure and capabilities in accordance with the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy final report. According to the Commission's Blueprint for the 21st Century, a renewed U.S. commitment to ocean science and technology will require improved strategic planning, closer interagency coordination, robust technology and infrastructure, and 21st century data management systems.
Significance: The Ocean and Coastal Mapping Integration Act directs the Administrator of NOAA to develop and implement a coordinated and comprehensive federal ocean and coastal mapping program and to coordinate ocean and coastal mapping and surveying activities with other federal efforts, international mapping activities, coastal states, user groups, and nongovernmental entities. A key component of this capability is a robust, accessible archive to inform planning and decision making for new surveys and support use and re-use of data for science-based decision making.
Outcome: This activity supports the Integrated Oceans and Coastal Mapping program and the general goal to improve our environmental and marine infrastructure and to develop a more robust Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS).
( or 303-497-6478)
National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC) Supports Committee for Space Environment Sensor Mitigation Options (CSESMO) Activities [May 2009]
Dr. William Denig (NGDC) will participate in a set of technical discussions concerning options for recovering space environmental sensing capabilities previously lost as a result of the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) Nunn-McCurdy action. These discussions support the efforts of the CSESMO which was formed under the National Space Weather Program Council of the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology in response to a request by the President's Office of Science and Technology Policy. Several participants of the NPOESS Sensor Mitigation Options Joint Action Group under the CSESMO were requested to participate in a 2-day focused technical meeting at The Aerospace Corporation facility in Colorado Springs, CO on May 7-8, 2009. The outcome of a successful meeting will be a set of recommended options for recovering NPOESS capabilities that can considered by the full JAG and forwarded to the CSESMO, if appropriate.
Significance: NOAA is a primary contributor to the Nation's space weather infrastructure though the deployment of operational space environmental sensors on polar-orbiting meteorological satellites.
Outcome: This activity supports the Goal 4 objective to improve our environmental and marine infrastructure.
( or 303-497-6323)
National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC) Supports Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) Review of Qualifying Charitable Organizations [May 2009]
Ms. Karen Horan (NGDC) participated on a panel for screening new charities wishing to be included in this year's CFC program for the Metropolitan Denver Area (CFC 0141) on April 24th, 2009. The panel reviewed applications, verified tax returns/audits, and ensured that submitted paperwork was accurate and complete. The CFC is the world's largest and most successful annual workplace charity campaign, with more than 300 CFC campaigns throughout the country and internationally to help to raise millions of dollars each year.
Significance: A thorough review of potential applicants for inclusion in the annual CFC drive ensures the quality and integrity of the program.
Outcome: This activity supports the Goal 3 objective to demonstrate global leadership on environmental issues.
( or 303-497-6277)
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